The word Sikh literally means "a learner" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "shishya" which means disciple or student or learner. The term is also related to "Saknoti" meaning "he is able, he is strong". In the Punjabi language the word Sikh also means to learn. A Sikh is a follower of the religion called Sikhism, which is the fifth largest organised religion in the world. A Sikh is a disciple of the Guru Granth Sahib which is more than a Holy book for the Sikhs - It is their perpetual and living spiritual teacher and guide.

A Sikh is a person who takes his spiritual guidance only from the Sikh Gurus; who believes in and remembers the one God (Simran), commonly referred to as Waheguru, at all times; believes in the equality of all beings and selfless service to humanity (Seva); believes in the protection of the weak (Kurbani); preservation of peace; the promotion of personal qualities of Sat (Truth); Daya (Compassion); Santokh (Contenment); Nimrata (Humility); and Pyare (Love); and who at all times constantly repels the inner five evils of Kam (Lust), Krodh (Rage), Lobh (Greed), Moh (Attachment) and Ahankar (Ego).

One who calls himself a Sikh of the True Guru,
shall rise in the early morning hours and meditate on the Lord`s Name.
Upon arising early in the morning, he is to bathe, and cleanse himself in the pool of nectar.
Following the Instructions of the Guru, he is to chant the Name of the Lord, Har, Har.
All sins, misdeeds and negativity shall be erased.
Then, at the rising of the sun, he is to sing Gurbani;
whether sitting down or standing up, he is to meditate on the Lord`s Name.
One who meditates on my Lord, Har, Har, with every breath and every morsel of food
- that Gursikh becomes pleasing to the Guru`s Mind.

The Guru requires the Sikh to lead a life of discipline; to rise early in the morning; to cleanse oneself both externally (bathing) and internally (Naam simran) ; to meditate on the Almighty; to discard negative traits of the mind; and grasp the positive vibes from the Guru's word (Gurbani). By doing this the Sikh will become pleasing to the Guru. A Sikh must know his or her duty to oneself, the family and the community and perform this to the best of his or her ability. To lead a life of Chardikala - "positive outlook" and "buoyant and optimistic attitude to life" accepting God's will as the ultimate reality. To study and seek spiritual guidance from the Guru at difficult times, to remember the Lord always and, at all times, to seek the company of the Sadh sangat - holy congregation or spiritually wise people.

To promote positive qualities both personally and among the community. To embrace Sat (Truth); Daya (Compassion); Santokh (Contenment); Nimrata (Humility); and Pyare (Love) as positive qualities of life.

The Guru Granth Sahib is revered as a teacher in its own right, because it is a literal transcript of the teachings of the nine gurus who preceded it. The Sikh follows the Guru Granth Sahib strictly as his prime guide. It was compiled by the Sikh Gurus and is maintained in its original form. In addition to their own works the gurus also included the revelations of many saints of that period. Their followers, with their turban and uncut hair, are proud and definitely distinct; yet, they show respect to the followers of other religions as well as their religions. Non-Sikhs can partake fully in Sikh prayer meetings and social functions. Members of the Sikh faith pray daily for the well being of all mankind.

The concept of saint-soldier is another unique feature which sometimes confuses observers. Every Sikh is required to aspire to sainthood by his devotion to God and service to mankind, but also, according to the situation, to adopt the role of a soldier of Waheguru.

Sikhs are required to not renounce the world and are urged to aspire to be and do their best while not being obsessed by the act; wanting the best, but not craving to accumulate. Seva (service) is an integral part of Sikh worship. This practice is very easily observed in the Sikhs houses of worship the Gurdwara (temple/ lit. doorway to God). Visitors of any religion, class/caste or creed are welcomed. Langar - a free, abundant, vegetarian meal is shared in a community atmosphere to all visitors of Sikh Gurdwaras all over the world. Members of the Gurdwaras provide and prepare, what can only be described as good home cooking, the meals as part of thir service to their fellow women and men. Many Langars (Guru Ka Langars) stay open on a 24 hour basis. The Langars as the (Guru ka) indicates is a practise started and developed by each of the nine Sikn Gurus to stress the equality of every human, even Moghul Emperors sat and ate among common men.

The Khalsa

The word "Khalsa" has two literal meanings. With its root in Sanskrit, it traveled through Persian, Arabic, Greek and the 'Romance Languages', returning centuries later to India and the Punjab with the Portugese, Persians and Arab invaders. One literal meaning is "Pure" and the other meaning is "belonging to the king". When the word "Khalsa" is used for a Sikh, it implies belonging to the King, where the King is TRUTH God himself. To become a Khalsa a Sikh must surrender him/her self completely to TRUTH God and obey God's will completely. Only then is a Sikh called "Khalsa."

A Sikh who has taken Amrit becomes a member of the Khalsa Institution which is "Pure" & flawless. There after he/she is believed to have pledged his/her life to Guru , and is expected not to desist from sacrificing anything and everything in a never ending struggle for the just cause of ensuring safety & welfare of the entire HUMANITY.

Sikhs' Five Ks

Sikhs look different - ever wondered why? Well, They take pride in wearing five items of faith on them at all times. Some do this out of respect for their tenth prophet, Guru Gobind Singh while others are under formal command of Khalsa and have made an oath to carry these five articles of faith. It is their moral duty to don these items. The persona formally declares them being saint-soldiers of "Akal Purakh", the 'Almighty Being' with a lifelong commitment to be at war against FALSEHOOD & TERRORISM.

These 5 items of faith are: Kesh, Kanga, Kara, Kirpan and Kacha which translate into: uncut hair, a small comb, a band of steel, a small sword, a pair of under shorts. Most male Sikhs will also wear a Turban over their uncut hair. The most "visible" items of faith are a turban and an untrimmed beard. This makes Sikhs stand out in a crowd, where ever they are.

The Sikh and His Guru

The relationship between the Sikh ('disciple') and the Guru ('Master') is very powerful and dominant and is central to understanding the reason for the strong dedication and devoted service that is performed by the followers of this religion. The Sikh believes that the tenth Guru is their spiritual father and that all other Sikhs are his/her spiritual brothers or sisters. The commitment by the disciple to the Guru is total as is the dedication of the Gurus to the Panth or followers. The Gurus have spoken very highly of their disciples.

Guru's Dedication to the Sikhs

The Khalsa is my true image. I dwell in the Khalsa.
Khalsa is my chief purpose. I am forever with the Khalsa.
Khalsa is my closest friend. Khalsa is my mother, father & my comfort.
Khalsa is my caste & creed. My creation is through the Khalsa.
Khalsa is my haven and storehouse. Because of the Khalsa I am honoured.
Khalsa is my body & spirit. Khalsa is my life & soul.
Khalsa is my total, true Guru. Khalsa is my courageous friend.
Khalsa is my wisdom & knowledge. I will always contemplate for the Khalsa.
Full tribute of the Khalsa is beyond me. It is impossible to truly praise the Khalsa with one tongue.
I certify that in the above, nothing is false. God and Guru Nanak are my witnesses to this truth.

Further, several of the Sikh Gurus carried out extreme sacrifices - all for the furtherance of the cause and this was done without any regard for personal self-perservation, benefit or gain. Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth guru was martyred by the then Mughal ruler, Emperor Jahangir for not amending the Adi Granth, the Sikh Holy book to reflect his views.

The ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur became the 'leader' of the Kashmiri Hindus to protect and save these tribesmen from the tyranny of the rulers of the nation - He made the ultimate sacrifice and was martyred by Emperor Aurangzeb for not converting to Islam.

On losing his sons, Guruji consoled their mother thus: "Mother of the Panth, What if our four sons are gone? They still live in God's Kingdom, and forever shall live the Khalsa, Millions of our brave and dear sons." Guruji further said that their sons were 4 'gifts of virtues' from God - Their death has passed these four great virtues into the Khalsa Panth - 'Ajit' means Invincible; 'Jujhar' means warrior; 'Zorawar' means Brave; and 'Fateh' is victory. So these qualities will live in our Khalsa."

The Sikh's commitment to the Guru

The baptised Sikh is called a Khalsa or the 'Pure One'. When Sikhs become Khalsas, they pledge their lives to the Guru - So their commitment is total. This devotion can be seen through history when the Sikhs have fought until death for the cause. The Battle of Saragarhi (1897) is remembered and honoured as one of many battles where the Sikhs have fought with unflinching strength. In the Battle of Saragarhi, the Sikh Havildar Ishar Singh with 21 other soldiers fought with ultimate and supreme bravery against 10,000 Afridi tribesmen. This battle has been taught as history in France for many years as a lesson in bravery and comradeship.

Many other such supreme sacrifices have been made by the Sikhs for their religion, their country or even their alliance partners. In the two great World Wars, over 80,000 Sikhs died for the British and Alliance force in a battles where they could have opted out. Many Sikhs received the Victoria Cross and the Param Vir Chakras for their gallantry and courage.

Duties of a Sikh

This section deals with the general duty of a Sikh to Society and God rather that his/her daily Practises which are dealt with in a subsequent section.

Accept the Ten Gurus and SGGS as their Spiritual Teachers. Regularly study, meditate on and read the SGGS. Naam Japo; have faith in Guru & God.

Live a householder life - honest, simple and family oriented Kirat Karni; Know you responsibilities and honour these.

Contribute to the well being of Society by offering selfless service without receiving payment and give ten percent of their net income to a charity, poor person, worthy cause, etc. Wand kay Shako

Speak politely; forgive easily and be humble at all times - page 1384 - "Humility is the word, forgiveness is the virtue, and sweet speech is the magic mantra. Wear these three robes, O sister, and you will captivate your Husband".

Prohibited Behavior:

Non-Logical Behavior: Superstitions; rituals, which have no meaning, pilgrimages, fasting and bathing in rivers; gambling; circumcision; worship of graves, idols, pictures; compulsory wearing of the veil for women; etc;

Material Obsession: ("Maya") Accumulation of materials have no meaning in Sikhism. Wealth, Gold, Portfolio, Stocks, Commodities, properties will all be left here on Earth when you depart. Do not get attached to them.

Sacrifice of Creatures:Sati - widows throwing themselves in the funeral pyre of their husbands; lamb and calf slaughter to celebrate holy occasions; etc

Non-Family Oriented Living: A sikh is not allowed to live a recluse, beggar, yogi, monk, Nun, celibacy, etc

Other Observations:

Not Son of God: The Gurus were not in the Christian sense "Sons of God". Sikhism says we are all Gods kids and S/He* is our Father/Mother.

All Welcomed: Members of All religions can visit Sikh temples ("Gurdwaras") but please observe the local rules - Cover Head, No shoes, No Smoking when going in to the Main Hall.

Multi-Level Approach: Sikhism recognises the concept of a Multi-level approach to achieving your target as a disciple of the faith. For example, "Sahajdhari" (slow adopters) are Sikhs who have not donned the full 5Ks but are still Sikhs nevertheless.

'*' = the Punjabi language does not have a gender for God. Unfortunately, when translating, the proper meaning cannot be properly conveyed without using Him/His/He/Brotherhood, S/He, etc but this distorts the meaning by giving the impression that God is masculine - which is not the message in the original script. The reader must correct for this every time these words are used.

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